Sash-lock.



PATENTED OCT. 9

J. L. GRETHER.

SASH LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1. 1905.

24 inventor:

n L Grehher W TQM/ M2 T'Y's.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. GRETHER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC SASH BALANCE'COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SASH-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

Application filed December 1,1905. Serial No. 289,835.

citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sash-Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an elevation showing my improved sash-lock in operative position for locking together the upper and lower sashes of a window. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the cooperating members of the lock disengaged to permit the sashes to be raised or lowered. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the lock in the position shown in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line X X of Fig. 3.

This invention relates to improvements in sash-locks; and one object of the invention is to provide a lock for preventing relative movement of two window-sashes either while the lower sash is in a partially-raised position or while the upper sash is in a partially-lowered position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sash-lock which normally occupies a position for locking together the upper and lower sashes of a window when the window is closed, but which can be so adjusted that relative movement of the window-sashes is permitted for raising the lower sash or for lowering the upper sash, such movement automatically restoring the lock to its former position, so that it will be operative for looking the two sashes together when they are returned to their normal positions.

Referring to the drawings, which represent the preferred form of my, invention, 2 and 4 designate, respectively, the lower rail of the upper sash of a window and the upper rail of the lower sash. Connected to the rail 2 of the upper sash, preferably by means of screws 6, is a device 8 in the form of a bar, that projects upwardly and has a plurality of approximately V-shaped notches 10 and 11. Mounted on the rail 4 of the lower sash is a baseplate 12, that carries a housing 14, provided with laterally-extending flanges 16, through which screws 18 pass for connecting the housing and the base-plate to the sash-rail 4. A movable part comprising a hollow plunger 20 is slidingly mounted in the housing, said plunger having its upper wall removed at one end to form a strap that embraces the bar 8 and being provided with a V-shaped lug 22, that is adapted to cooperate with the notches in the bar 8 for locking the upper and lower sashes together. At the inner end of the base-plate adjacent to the rail. 2 of the upper sash is an L-shaped abutment-plate 23, and at the opposite end of the base-plate is a re taining-lip 24, the plunger 20 resting upon said lip and the horizontally-extending portion of the abutment-plate when said plunger is in operative position for locking the sashes together, as shown in Fig. 1, said plunger being normally held in this position by a coiled expansion-spring 25, confined within the plunger between its end wall and the vertiwilly-extending portion of the abutmentp ate.

At the lower edge of the inner half of said plunger is a cut-out portion 21, which permits the plunger to have a slight rocking movement within the housing, so that when it is pushed inwardly its outer end may be depressed to cause the retaining-lip 24 on the base-plate to engage it and hold it in its inward position, as shown in Fig. 2. While the plunger is in this position, its lug 22 will be out of engagement with the notches in the bar 8, and the two sashes are then free to be moved in either direction, the inward movement of the plunger being limited by lugs 26 projecting therefrom and engaging a portion of the housing. For the purpose ofunlocking the plunger to permit it to be returned by the spring 25 to its outward position, so that it will automatically lock the sashe's when they are returned to normal position, I have provided the bar 8 with an inclined surface 30, so that when the lower sash is moved upwardly or the upper sash is moved downwardly said inclined portion 30 will cooperate with the end portion27 of the top wall of the plunger and rock said plunger on the abutment-plate as a fulcrum. Accordingly as the inner end of the plunger is depressed by this rocking movement its outer end will move out of engagement with the retaining-lip 24, and the spring 25 will then move the plunger outwardly to its normal position.

It Will thus be seen that I have provided a device which securely locks the two sashes of a window together when they are closed and which can be adjusted to lock the sashes together when they are in either a partiallyraised or a partially-lowered position, this be ing accomplished by disengaging the lug 22 of the plunger from the notches in thejmr;

8 and moving one sash relatively to the other to cause said lug to engage the notch 11 in said bar.

Furthermore, it will be seen that afterthe members of the locks have been disengaged to permit the sashes to be raised or lowered the movement of the sashes automatically restores the lock to its operative position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new,-and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sash-lock comprising a bar adapted to be fastened to one sash of a window and provided with a notch, a housing adapted to be fastened to the other sash of a window, a reciprocating plunger mounted in-said housing and constructed to engage the notch in said bar to prevent relative movement of said sash, said plunger being also capable of a slight rocking movement, means for holding said plunger normally in operative position, retaining means for holding said plunger in an inoperative position, and means carried by said bar for engaging said plunger and rocking it to free it from said retaining means and permit it to be returned to normal position; substantially as described.

2. A sash-lock comprising a bar adapted to be fastened to one sash of a window, a housing adapted to be fastened to the other housing for holding said plunger in an inoperative position, and means carried by said bar for engaging sald plunger and rocklng 1t to release it from said retaining device when one of said sashes is moved relatively to the other; substantially as described.

. 3. A sash-lock comprising a notched bar adapted to be fastened to one sash of a. win- (low and provided with an inclined portion, a housing adapted to be fastened to the other side of a window, an abutment-plate carried by said. housing, a plunger reciprocatingly mounted in said housing and having-a lug for cooperating with the notch in said bar, a spring interposed between said abutmentplate and a portion of said plunger for holding it in operative position, a retaining-lip on said housing for engaging the plunger and holding it in an inoperative position, the inclined part on said bar being adapted to engage and move the plunger to free it from said retaining-lip when one of said sashes is moved; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature in the presence of two witnesses this 17th day of November, 1905.

JOHN L. GRETHER. 

